Kill or Be Killed
by MydnytAngel
Summary: what if she didnt miss the major organs? how would elena deal with a tragedy and how does Damon fit in. 25 reviews for next chapter. its all ready :
1. Chapter 1

Damon raced to the hospital as fast as he could, the horrible words still ringing in his head. He had been about to start his usual drinking routine when Jeremy had called him, telling him Jenna was dead. His heart would have stopped beating as Jeremy told him that Katherine compelled Jenna to stab herself. His ears had picked up Stefan's conversation in the other room with Elena he assumed, but he didn't hang around to listen. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he'd get from Elena. Their friendship seemed to at least be on the mend over the last few days, but he had to do something. He found them in the waiting room, Ric included and Damon didn't like the way his heart clenched. These were probably the most important people in his life. Since when did he suddenly care about so many people? But his eyes landed on the huddled form of Elena, her head buried in her hands as her body shook slightly. "Elena," he said softly as he made his way toward her.

Her tear stained face lifted to meet his, the most devastated looked on her features and she shakily got to her feet. "You didn't have to come," she whispered. That was better then her asking him to leave. She needed someone to be strong for her while she was struggling to be strong for everyone else.

"Yes I did," he said softly. "Stefan's probably right behind me." Which meant he had only seconds to offer her a little bit of comfort before her boyfriend would swoop in and take over. He knew how smothering Stefan could be, but it wasn't his place to say anything, nor the time.

She shook her head as more tears brimmed in her eyes. "I told him not to," she whimpered. "We can't be together anymore. She won't stop Damon. She's not going to stop." And her face crumbled as fresh wave of sobs wracked her body.

On instinct he pulled her against him, his arms enveloping her small frame. He wanted to ignore how perfectly she fit against him, but his arms had other ideas as he hugged her tightly, his nose nuzzling her hair. He did not do crying women. He was horrible at it, but he had to be calm, and get them out of her. "Let's get you guys home," he said in a calm voice. He was going to make Katherine pay for doing this to her. Elena didn't deserve to be hurt in such a way.

She violently shook her head against his chest. "There's so much blood," she gasped. "She did it right in front of us. I was on the phone… Oh god Damon." He didn't like hearing that. Jenna had killed herself with witnesses. Jenna probably died in front of them, bleeding to death before help could arrive.

He wanted to hide her from the world, to take away all the pain she was in, but he had to take one step at a time. "Come on," he said, gently stepping back and wiping her tears. He hated seeing her cry, and her hands reluctantly released him, her heart at least telling her she needed some comfort even if she couldn't acknowledge it with her mind. "Get your stuff." He moved over to Jeremy and Ric as he ran a hand over his face. "Ready?"

"We should stay," Jeremy said bravely. "There's paper work…"

"No," Damon said shaking his head and resting a hand on Jeremy's shoulder. "You guys are coming home and we will take care of everything tomorrow." His eyes landed on Ric. "I'm serious." He saw Jeremy as a younger brother and Jeremy was Elena's first priority, making him Damon's concern, and Ric was the closest thing he had to real male friend.

"I'm staying," Ric said, shaking his head. "Take the kids home."

Damon sighed and handed the keys to Jeremy. "Take your sister to the car," he said, watching as the two siblings left the waiting room, both leaning on each other for support. "Ric, there's nothing you can do tonight. This isn't where you need to be right now."

"Since when did you show so much concern?" Ric asked raising an eyebrow.

Damon was still asking himself that same question. This was Stefan's thing, not his. "You're my friend Ric," he said evenly. Everything in him was screaming to run and find Katherine and torture her mercilessly, but the man in him was overriding his demon, telling him to take care of the people around him. And he had to listen to it. It wasn't like and Stefan didn't lose people when they were younger.

"When the hell did that happen?" Ric muttered, but he headed in the direction of the double doors.

Damon was glad to see Elena sound asleep against her brothers shoulder in the back seat. He drove back to the boarding house, his emotions conflicting with each other. He wanted to find Katherine and rip her head off. He wanted to rip Stefan's head off for being such a moron. And he wanted to pull Elena into his arms and run away from all this. None of those options was possible at the moment, which just made him internally agitated. Once at the boarding house, he gently scooped Elena up and carried her inside where Stefan immediately advanced on him. "Don't Stefan," he said in a low voice. He didn't want to wake her up. She so desperately needed sleep right now.

"What are you doing with her?" Stefan asked.

If the circumstances were any different, he would have made some smart ass comment, but he just didn't have the energy today. "Taking her upstairs," he said, his feet easily finding each stair as he carried his precious bundle to his room. She mumbled sleepily as he laid her down and covered her up, but she didn't wake up. For that, he was grateful. He had to deal with Stefan, and he knew it wasn't going to be easy. With a deep breath, he headed downstairs, the tension in the room thick in the air. "You have to stay away from Elena."

"Like hell I will Damon," Stefan growled.

In a flash, Damon had his brother up against the wall by the throat. "This is your fault Stefan. You know Katherine. You tried to play her and she was one step ahead of you the whole time. Katherine will keep killing people if you don't stay away from her." His hand tightened considerably. "And I swear to god Stefan, if someone else dies because you're too stupid to swallow your pride and protect the woman you love, I will rip you apart and the hell with the consequences." He dropped Stefan with a shove and took a step back. "So go to Elena's house and grab her some of her things and get Jeremy what he needs." He collapsed on the couch, pulling his cell phone out before dialing Bonnie's number. "Hey Judgy." He told her what Katherine had done and to stay inside. He didn't like the witch really, but she was Elena's best friend which meant he had to look out of her. After Bonnie came Caroline, who made his job so much easier by choosing that moment to walk through the door.

"Why the gloomy faces?" she asked, going to sit by Stefan.

"Katherine killed Jenna," Jeremy said heading to Damon's liquor supply. Ric joined him as well and Damon couldn't blame them. They could drink all they wanted tonight.

Damon got to his feet, his protective streak taking over. "So it'd be better if you stayed here for a few days," he said. "She's dangerous and I have a better handle on things here. No one goes anywhere without checking with me and no one goes anywhere alone."

"How's Elena?" Caroline asked, her eyes flickering to Stefan. She must find it strange that Damon was in charge of things while Stefan just sat back and moped.

"Sleeping," he answered. "I suggest everyone else does the same." And he headed towards the stairs. He himself was tired. His brain was running a million miles an hour and his muscles were tense, ready for a fight, but he forced himself to remain calm. He nearly flinched when Elena rolled over as he entered his room quietly. So much for sleeping. He sat next to her, trying not to crowd her as he took in her swollen face.

"Where's Jeremy?" she asked tiredly.

"Downstairs having a drink," he said softly. "Caroline is here too and I called Bonnie to let her know what happened." He sighed and rubbed his face. "And I sent St. Stefan to your house to get you and Jeremy some stuff." She looked so worn down, all the light drained out of her. She was such a brave, fiery person and in one night that had all been ripped away.

"Oh," she said in surprise. "Thank you."

"I don't know what's going on Elena, but Stefan will stay away from you until we figure this out," he said softly. "I'm sure that's why Katherine went this far. And if he doesn't want me to rip his head off, he'll listen to me." If he had been bright enough to figure out that the two lovers weren't really fighting, there was no way that they had slipped by Katherine. However, he didn't know Katherine would start killing people.

"We're not very good actors I suppose," she mumbled, pushing herself up into a sitting position.

"Horrible," he confirmed. "I didn't think she'd ever go this far Elena. But you and Jeremy are welcome to stay here until you're house is fixed." He didn't know how much blood there was going to be, but he was sure there was a considerable amount. But the emotional damage was done. It would be months before Elena would be able to step foot in her kitchen without hesitation.

"You doing that too?" she asked.

"I'm taking care of everything I possibly can," he said. "So you should just… try to sleep." He already had a mental check list of things that needed to be done. Funderal arrangements would have to be made, there was a ton of paperwork, the house needed to be taken care of, and in reality, Elena and Jeremy were orphans. Again. He'd have to take extra steps to make sure they weren't separated or some such nonsense.

"You really don't have to do all this Damon," she said softly as tears stung her eyes once more but her hand reached out to squeeze his. "What if she doesn't stop? Even if Stefan and I aren't together, what if she goes after Jeremy or someone else?" Killing Jenna had been the warning and Damon didn't know the game yet, so Jeremy was definitely a prime target for her.

"I'm not going to let her do that," he said squeezing her fingers. "I'm going to kill her and that'll be it." Katherine won't be expecting him to turn on her, not completely. Its uncommon for vampires to kill their makers, from the strong bond between them, but Katherine would be the exception. He would take pleasure in killing her. He rose to his feet and gently peeled off her sneakers before covering her once more. "I'll be downstairs. Everyone is safe tonight so just rest."

She nodded sleepily. "Thank you," she whispered, allowing her eyes to close and succumb to sleep she so desperately needed.


	2. Chapter 2

Elena stretched as warmth illuminated her face. She stared at the ceiling for a few moments a bit surprised to not find Damon next to her. However she was grateful to be alone for a few minutes this morning. She just needed to get her head on straight so she could proceed with her day. And she was glad he wasn't hovering, checking on her every five minutes. Damon understood her inside and out and she could never figure out why, but he just knew what she needed.

She had kicked him out of her life for good reason. In a moment of weakness he had killed her brother, knowing Jeremy was her whole world. And she had hated him for a short time. It had killed her, but she had done it. However, he did everything he possibly could to make amends. He took an arrow in the back for her, one that would have killed her if he hadn't. When Caroline had helped her find them when the sheriff discovered who they were, her heart had leapt in her throat. Both the brothers had been brutally hurt that day. She had felt a little guilty that she automatically assumed he was going to kill Caroline's mom. It had taken her so long to not think the worst of him. And she couldn't look past that.

And now, when she felt so horribly alone, unable to be strong, he was there, without question. He was doing everything he possibly could to lessen the pain she was in, to help her through it, and… that scared her a little. Damon was her friend, she stood firmly by that statement, but maybe it was more. She trusted him with her life, with Jeremy's life, more then she trusted anyone else. That was worth something, to her. She just wasn't sure what it meant and she didn't have the time to lay in bed all day and figure it out. Not today. Her head felt heavy as she sat up and rubbed the weariness. There was a crinkle next to her she noticed a folded piece of paper and when she opened it, she saw it was from Stefan.

_Elena,_

_I'll be long gone when you read this. I'm going to leave with Katherine so she'll never hurt you again. I'm sorry for everything that's happen to you since I've come into your life and you deserve to be happy._

_Stefan_

She wiped a stray tear before folding it and putting it in her jeans. She combed her fingers through the tangled mess of her hair as a few more tears started to sting her eyes. But she headed downstairs, the smell of breakfast assaulting her nose. She wasn't sure how much she'd be able to eat though. She paused in the doorway watching Damon in front of the stove. "Hi," she said in a hoarse voice, nearly flinching. She didn't want to cry. Not over Stefan. She wanted the numb feeling back she used to have so much control over. Why couldn't she do this now.

"Morning," he said turning to face her after turning off the burners and he could tell something was wrong. He always knew when she was upset, instantly. "You alright?"

"Mhm," she said, folding her arms trying to swallow the lump in her throat. However when his hand rested on her arm, offering her a little bit of comfort, sobs once again shook her body as she leaned against him. Her arms locked around his neck as he scooped her up and headed into the living room. She inhaled the wonderful scent that was distinctly him as he cradled her in his lap, her sobs slowly dying off.

His fingers were stroking her hair as he pressed soft kisses to her temple. "Elena?"

She hesitated on lying and just telling him she was crying over Jenna, knowing he didn't care about her relationship with Stefan. "Stefan's gone," she said staring at the floor. She had to tell someone. "Gave into Katherine so she wouldn't hurt anyone else." He didn't tell her how much he loved her, how sorry he was that he was leaving. Nothing. Just he was leaving. That was it. Like the last year had been nothing between them.

"I'm sorry," Damon said sadly.

Somehow that made it worse. She almost wished he rubbed her face how he told her Stefan was a loser. She didn't want pity. That was the worst feeling in the world having someone feel sorry for you, especially when you're heartbroken. "That won't bring her back," she said climbing off his lap. "Nothing is going to make this better." In agitation her hands went through her hair, shoving it from her face. "Everything that's happened since he came into my life has gone from bad to worse. Just one person after the other."

Damon got to his feet to get a drink. "We have dangerous lives Elena," he said. "There's certain risks that come with dating a vampire and you both knew that."

"And I ignored them!" she screamed. "I was selfish Damon. Everyone that's died, is because I wanted to be with him."

"That's ridiculous," Damon said turning around.

"You killed Jeremy because I loved Stefan," she said angrily. "So don't call me ridiculous. We're orphans again because of her." Oh god. She couldn't believe she just said that. She must drive him crazy. She was driving herself crazy with the mood swings.

Damon watched her carefully, her body trembling with anger, tears sliding down her cheeks. He slowly closed the distance between them, his eyes taking in her wobbly lip. "You know that I didn't mean to hurt Jeremy," he said, carefully. She couldn't keep bringing this up. It had to stay in the past, checked off as dealt with.

"I'm sorry," she said hanging her head a sniffling. "I didn't mean that."

"You sure?" he asked softly, reaching for her and she gratefully slid her arms around his waist burying her face in his chest. She mumbled another apology into her chest, her muscles relaxing against him and after a few minutes he guided her in the direction of the kitchen. "Come on cutie. You should eat something."

"What did you make?" she asked wiping her face. She could do this. She did it when her parents died, she could do it this time. She could be strong and not have any more emotional breakdowns.

"Scrambled eggs," he said. "I doubt you're hungry for anything more."

"I didn't know you could cook," she commented as she took a seat at the counter. It amazed her how easily they slid from one thing to another. Just in the living room had been so intense, and now they were relaxed and things were calm. He adapted to her instantly, fitting himself into her life in a way that would suit her, and she loved that about him.

He stared at her with amusement. She loved that twinkle in his eye when he looked at her. The asshole act was just a show for everyone, but these moments when he let his guard down a little, she cherished. "I'm an excellent cook," he said. "It's reserved for exclusive people."

Immediately a pout formed on her lips. "I'm not exclusive?"

"You have no idea," he said, pulling out plates.

She winced knowing she was pushing the line between them. She needed a friend right now, not more drama. "Sorry," Elena said. "That was awkward."

He stared at her for a second as he put a plate of eggs in front of her. "It doesn't have to be. We're friends aren't we?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, obviously still having doubts about what exactly they were classified as.

"Of course we are," she said firmly. "I just.. I know that you want more." She didn't want to do this right now. She didn't want to hurt him in anyway by rejecting him.

"I want you happy and safe," he clarified. "And if that means us just being friends, then I'm fine with that. You don't have to walk on eggshells around me." He sat next to her. "Don't worry about this Elena. Me and you are solid so worry about more important things right now."

She eyed him closely, seeing the promise in them. "Thanks Damon," she said softly digging into her eggs. The rest of breakfast was completed in comfortable silence, which she appreciated. She enjoyed just having his company beside her. It was only when a wear Ric joined them that the silence was broken.

"Morning," Damon said evenly.

"You two look cozy," he commented, staring at the two of them seated together at the counter.

"It was a rough morning," Elena said as Damon took her clean plate to the sink.

"Where's Stefan?" Ric asked.

Elena snorted and got to her feet. "Wouldn't you know he disappeared with Katherine last night," she said hatefully before heading back upstairs. She paused outside of Stefan's room, staring down at herself. She wanted a change of clothes. She took a deep breath and pushed open his door, not sure what she was going to find, but everything was still as he left it. She quickly went to the closet and tugged jeans and shirt off the hangers before leaving his room. She didn't want to think about him right now.

For whatever reason, she headed back to Damon's room and changed into her clean clothes before collapsing back on his bed, burying her face in his pillow. She could feel the calmness starting to ease her muscles and she closed her eyes enjoying the small amount of peace.


	3. Chapter 3

Damon longed to follow Elena, but she needed a few minutes to herself. He settled with making coffee for Ric and putting the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. He had to go find Stefan. This was ridiculous. Elena needed him. Stefan should be here comforting his girlfriend, not that Damon wasn't enjoying his closeness with her. However, he was falling more in love with her with every minute he was around her. He had never felt anything like this in his 150 year existence, and certainly not for a human, that was in love with his brother. This wasn't going to end well for him, but he couldn't stop himself. God help him he couldn't control it. Not with Elena.

With a sigh and headed upstairs, mildly surprised to find her in his bed. Again. He could get so used to seeing her there. She looked perfect in his sheets… granted she'd look better if he was there with her, but he didn't dare let his mind wander further than that. He closed the door behind him and sat next to her. With a sigh he asked her the hardest question. "Do you want me to go after Stefan?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow, obviously not expecting that from him. "Why?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Because you love him," Damon said obviously. "He should be here with you for this." She should be in Stefan's bed, taking comfort in Stefan's arms, not… infesting everything in his room with her scent, like she belonged here.

"I'm not putting Jeremy in danger," she said. "He chose to leave with her Damon. Rather than waiting for us to come up with a plan to deal with this, he just left." She sighed and turned on her back. "I'm tired of him walking away from me for my own good."

Damon chose to drop the subject for now and changed it to the more pressing matters at the moment. "I know you.. Don't want to go home and I just wanted you to know you and Jeremy can stay here as long as you want," he said softly. "And the arrangements should be all set this afternoon. But… you can't stay in bed all day. It's not good for you."

"What if you join me?" she asked with a pout. "Then can I stay?"

He chuckled and got to his feet, choosing not to make a mountain out of mole hill with her statement. "That sounds like heaven Elena, but you and Jeremy are going to the store with me."

"Why?" she asked sitting up.

"Because," Damon said. "You need food. So unless you decide on becoming a vampire, you need nourishment."

Elena chewed on her lip but climbed out of bed. "Okay," she agreed. Some fresh air would do her wonders and if anyone pushed her too far, he could growl at them and be done with it. "But you're setting yourself up for lots of ice cream."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you my dear," he said following her to the door, but she stopped short before leaving. "Elena?"

She turned her wide eyes to him that were filled with tears once more. "Are you going to leave… after all this I mean?" she whispered. "When you don't have to take care of us."

Damon closed the distance between them and wiped a tear as it slid down her cheek. "I hate to break it to you Elena, but you're always going to need taking care of," he said softly. "So I think you're gunna be stuck with me for the rest of your life." That seemed to be what she wanted to hear because a smile curved on her lips, a small one, but a smile and they headed downstairs.

Jeremy joined them downstairs, and he didn't miss the sparkle in Elena's eye as they got in the car. The harsh planes of Damon's face were now soft and he had a warmth in his eyes no one had seen before. And when Elena's hand tangled with Damon's, he knew that his sister was going to be fine. She was smiling. Really smiling and it was more than fine with Jeremy that is was Damon taking care of her.

The day of the funeral…

The day had started with a gloomy presence that weighed heavily in the house as they got ready. Damon made sure not to crowd Elena or fuss over her as he watched her have amazing control of herself. It was only at the graveyard as they were saying their final goodbyes that he saw her start to breakdown. Every now and then a tear would escape her eye and he could see the slight shuddering of her body as she tried to keep her sobs to herself. As her fingers ran over the head stone, he took his place behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently, but staying silent.

"Let's go home," she choked out, her arms dropping lifelessly to her sides as she stared at the freshly turned dirt.

Damon glanced at Jeremy, who nodded once and Damon slid an arm around Elena as he led her to his car. He wanted to ask her what he could do, if she was okay, but he knew that would upset her greatly and he didn't want that. So he stayed silent, offering his support just by being her. They seemed to work well with no words anyways. She immediately went upstairs when they returned to the boarding house and he had a drink before following her. His bedroom was empty but her dress and shoes were on the floor and the bathroom door was closed, the shower running. However, he could still hear her sobbing. He changed out of his suit and leaned against the wall next to the door, waiting patiently for her.

The shower turned off and a few moments later the door opened, revealing her in her usual pjs. She seemed a little surprised to see him outside the door, but she allowed him to hug her. Her muscles relaxed as he scooped her up and carefully deposited her on the bed, and for the first night since she started sleeping here, he stayed with her. She curled up next to him with a sniffle but she fell asleep instantly, emotionally drained.

Damon was surprised at how tired he was. He barely slept the last few days, keeping an extra ear out to make sure no one tried to come after them under his watch, but they were safe for tonight, and Elena was in his arms, relaxing him greatly. It wasn't long before his nose was buried in her hair and he was sound asleep along side her.


	4. Chapter 4

When Elena's eyes fluttered open, she became aware of two things. The first was how safe and content she felt in Damon's arms. The second was a touch of fear, afraid of how they had pushed their relationship to this point. She cared about him, but she was still heavily grieving with the rest of her life and she wasn't sure what her feelings were for Damon. She slipped from his arms, almost whimpering at the loss, but she changed her clothes and quietly left the house. With amazing calmness she drove home and once inside, she looked around sadly before going upstairs, avoiding the kitchen entirely. She knew Damon had cleaned up the mess but that didn't mean she didn't see Jenna there every second. She just wanted to pack some more clothes and grab a few things.

She looked around her room, her eyes landing on a picture of Jenna on her mirror, right next to one of her and Stefan. Blinding anger consumed her as she ripped the pictures down and punched the mirror. How dare he leave her for Katherine. After all this time, all the promises how she was better then her evil twin and he just… he just left. She barely felt the pain as the glass pierced her flesh as she chucked her teddy across the room breaking a lamp. She stared at her bleeding hand, unable to comprehend the pain as she struggled to breathe. She couldn't do this.

She ran out of the house, not noticing the trail of blood droplets she was leaving. As soon as she got outside, it started to pour, but she paid no mind to the weather as she started driving. As she suspected, her phone started vibrating, Damon's name appearing on the screen, but she pressed ignore. And she pressed ignore the 4 times after that before he resorted to texting her.

'_Dammit Elena! I'm going to kill you for making me worry like this. You don't have to do this alone. I'm sorry I spent the night with you. I promise I won't again.'_

He thought what? He thought she was running from him? She wished she was. This would be easier if she could blame him and be mad at him, but none of this was his fault. He was doing everything he could to ease her pain to help her through this. But she couldn't be around him. She couldn't think or breathe when he was in the room. He never asked her how she was doing or made promises that this was going to be okay. He was just there with her, and she welcomed his comfort, more then he realized. She just wanted some control of what was happening around her. Damon was being so strong for her, something she wasn't used to. And her feelings for the older Salvatore were intensifying with everyday they spent together. He was being a very good friend and he had done nothing to make her angry, she just… wasn't sure if she was ready.

The rain started coming down harder, making it near impossible to see the road even with the wipers on high, but she was close to her destination anyway. She could walk the rest of the way. She pulled off the road and zipped her jacket up, knowing she was about to get soaked. After throwing her cell phone on the passenger seat, she climbed out, gasping at the cold water that immediately started pouring on her. The rain was freezing but she didn't care as she started across the grass, getting drenched to the bone.

"Elena!" Damon screamed, through her house as Jeremy and Bonnie jogged in after him. His heart dropped as the smell of her blood hit his nose and he followed the trail up to her room, pushing his wet hair from his eyes. When he woke up alone, at first he didn't have a reaction. He wasn't going to make a thing out of it. However once he had gotten dressed and headed downstairs, he had realized she wasn't here. Then when she ignored his calls, he thought the worst. Had he crossed a line by staying with her? He couldn't stand the thought of her being angry at him, especially over this.

"Did someone take her?" Bonnie asked, seeing the mess. "Katherine?"

Katherine would have to have a death wish if she dared to come to Elena's house and kidnap her. Damon glanced around only seeing the small amounts of blood and her broken mirror. "I don't smell anyone else," he said taking in the damage. The ripped pictures, the broken furniture, the smell of salt. She was crying when she was here, but she was alone. "How fast can you do a spell to find her?"

"Quick," Bonnie said, lighting a few candles and closing her eyes, her lips moving in a silent chant. "She's cold… sad. There's grass… and stones." Her eyes snapped open. "I couldn't make out what kind of stones."

"I know where she is," Damon said, and he was gone. There was only one place with stones that she'd want to be right now. She blamed herself for this, for orphaning her and Jeremy once more. She might say it was Katherine's fault, but she blamed herself more. The rain pounded on him as he moved through the woods and he double timed it to the cemetery. He hated getting wet like this, he much preferred to stay in, or at least drive, but if Elena was out in this, she could get sick. His eyes landed on her huddled in the mud leaning against Jenna's gravestone, her face in her knees. Carefully he approached her, not wanting to scare her, before crouching down in front of her. "Elena…"

She raised her face in surprise, her eyes full of anguish as they met his. "Damon?"

"Come on Sweetheart," he said lifting her into his arms. "God you scared me." His hold tightened around almost painfully as he headed in the direction of the boarding house. He just wanted to kiss her over and over again now that she was safe. She needed to get warm and soon. Even as they arrived home and he carried her upstairs to his bathroom, she remained silent. "Let's get you warm," he said turning on the shower.

"Why does it matter?" she mumbled folding her arms as she shivered. "No point in caring."

Damon yanked his soaked shirt over his head and cupped her chin. "I am not going to let anything happen to you or to Jeremy Elena," he said, stroking her jaw. The moment Katherine stepped foot in Mystic Falls Damon would kill her, if Stefan hadn't already.

"It's never going to stop," she cried. "People I love are going to keep dying Damon."

He had taken so many extra steps to keep everyone around her safe, especially her and Jeremy. Bonnie could do a spell on their house, he could take care of all of this, if she allowed him. He would need a little time, but she needed to trust him a little. "No they won't," he said in a desperate tone. "You and Jeremy and have me now but you can't ever disappear on me like that. You're going to get sick."

She shivered against him and sniffled. "Why do you put up with me?" she mumbled laying her head on his shoulder.

He couldn't believe she really thought he was just going to give up on her. After everything they had been through at least on the friendship level, he couldn't just throw that away. However, Stefan had. Stefan had broken her heart to pieces, and he couldn't exactly blame her for being scared of losing anyone else from her life. "You know why," he said kissing her wet hair. "You really need to get out of these clothes."

"Yeah I'm definitely cold," she muttered, her body shuddering once more.

Damon's hands covered hers and they were like ice, even for him. He was going to have to help her and… "You're gunna have to trust me Elena," he said softly.

She nearly raised an eyebrow. "I already do," she said. He would have chuckled at how silly they were being over this whole thing. They were both adults and he had amazing self control… he hoped.

Damon crouched in front of her, wondering how he was going to keep his hands strictly for help, and not caress her beautiful skin, and sculpt her body that he only dreamed about. "Hold on to my shoulders," he said. Once her trembling hands were settled, he removed her shoes and socks one at a time, frowning at the light blue color of her toes. His hands quickly moved to the button of jeans, undoing them and peeling the soaked denim off her freezing legs. Her skin was almost colder then his. As he stood up he took her top with him. "Come on cute." He helped her under the warm spray, clad in the cutest bra and panties he had ever seen and he joined her in his jeans. "We'll warm you up and get you in front of the fire."

Elena leaned into his arms and he stroked her back rocking her gently, almost expecting her to burst into tears again. He wondered when the last time she cried had been. She kept on such a brave front for everyone except him, which he found a little surprising. "I'm sorry you worried," she said. "I just… got so angry."

Damon kissed her hair and reached behind him to get the conditioner to at least smooth out her tangles. "Definitely not how I planned to spend today," he agreed. He'd never been so scared in his life. He didn't know what to think. She could have been hurt or worse and he'd.. never forgive himself if something happened to her.

"In the shower with me?" she asked coyly.

At least she could crack a joke at a time like this. However this was definitely not how he wanted his first time in the shower with her to be. "Very funny," he said, running the substance through her long locks. "I'm not.. Trying to make a sexual ploy at you, even though we're half naked, in the shower."

She frowned and brought a hand to his cheek. "I know that Damon," she said softly. "I never thought otherwise. And… I wasn't running from you this morning. I just wanted to get some clothes and stuff and just get some air. It wasn't about last night." He could feel the tension start to ease out of his muscles, not realizing how worried he had been.

"I just.. Thought you might want me to stay with you last night," he said carefully. "Rinse."

Elena tilted her head back and hummed softly as his fingers massaged her scalp, washing the suds from her head. They definitely needed clothes if they were going to finish this conversation or they could end up doing something neither of them were ready for. He turned the taps off and climbed out wrapped a large towel around her. "Let's find you some dry clothes," he said, leaving the bathroom, freezing when he saw a figure on his bed.


	5. Chapter 5

"Well that certainly didn't take long," Stefan commented from his perch on Damon's bed. "I thought you would have left when I did. No reason to stick around.. Unless you were trying to steal my girlfriend."

Damon stared at his brother in disbelief. He doubted the look on his face said 'I just got laid'. "Clearly you weren't out here for very long," he said angrily. "Did you hear moans of pleasure Stefan? Is your hearing that bad that you couldn't fucking figure out what was going on? Open your eyes brother. I'm still wearing my jeans and they are soaked. Not that its any of your business." And he'd never take advantage of her. He moved to his dresser to get dry clothes for Elena. "And she's not your girlfriend. You left her. You left her for that.. Bitch that ruined our lives."

Elena emerged from the bathroom, hearing Damon's angry voice. "Stefan," she said in surprised, folding her arms over her chest. "You're.. here. In Damon's room." He half expected her to run to Stefan's arms, but when she didn't he wasn't going to lie, it made him a little bit happy. He had seen a slight change in her, the start of the healing process and Stefan showing up was going to confuse her a lot. Damon wanted to be the one to be here with her and he didn't want to keep worrying that Stefan was going to show up and take her back.

"How could you Elena?" Stefan flared.

She raised an eyebrow and her gaze fell on Damon. "How could I… what?" she asked in confusion. He thought her expression was the cutest one he'd ever seen. Her hair was soaked, all stringy, her brows creased in the way that made him weak in the knees. It amazed him how little Stefan knew the girl. She honestly didn't think anything was wrong with the situation.

"I left to keep you safe, not so you could turn around and fuck my brother," Stefan growled angrily.

"You're not serious," Elena said, shaking her head. She headed over to Damon and took the clothes from him. "Thank you." When she emerged, dressed and her wet hair pulled back, she had an angry expression on her face. "You left me Stefan. You left. When I needed you the most. And the only thing Damon has done is take care of me. I almost died! Okay? And he was making sure I didn't get hypothermia. And really, its none of your business." She moved past them heading downstairs, and Damon followed her closely behind.

He draped a blanket over her shoulders, his thumb stroking her collar bone slightly. "Will you be alright while I put some dry clothes on?" he asked softly. Her skin was returning to its usual lovely color, the chill long gone. But that didn't mean he wanted to leave her with Stefan. He didn't want Stefan to start filling her head with meaningless lies. You never walked away from the one you loved and Stefan was making a sport out of it.

Elena POV

Elena nodded and pulled the blanket more tightly around herself as Damon left her alone with his brother. She didn't want to be afraid of him, but he was angry, because he thought she moved on with Damon. It's not that she didn't think about it, and it wasn't like last night wasn't special for her. She had barely any time to think about her love life with everything else going on. She just wanted to get back on her feet. She wanted to feel better, and if Damon was going to help her do that, she didn't see anything wrong with that. "I don't want to talk to you," she said simply rubbing her forehead.

"Elena, I love you," Stefan said sitting across from her. "I just wanted you to be safe."

"Safe?" She screamed getting to her feet. Her life since she had met him had been anything but safe. "Jenna is dead. She's dead Stefan. And rather then being here, helping me through that, you left me in the care of your brother like some… child. You think Damon wants to be burden with me and Jeremy because we have no one else? You think its easy for us to live here, knowing we can never step foot in our house without remembering that the last of our family was murdered there?"

Stefan snorted. "Damon is enjoying this Elena," he said rising to his feet as well. "Anything he can do to get his hands on you and make you hate me, he's going to do."

"I didn't need Damon for that," she said softly. "You did that all by yourself. Like the whole last year meant nothing to you. Just a stupid letter that you left. You didn't even tell me you were sorry or that you love me. Just that you're leaving with your ex. Yep. You managed to make me hate you all on your own. And you could have killed her. You had her tied up in the basement and you did nothing! Nothing Stefan. You had the chance to kill her and you didn't, so she killed Jenna."

"Elena, that isn't fair," he said desperately. "She was going to keep killing people if I didn't listen to her. I didn't think she'd ever go that far, and you knew she was here for more than just me."

"Then what are you doing here?" she asked. "Just came to make sure Damon hadn't seduced me yet?" At his lack of an answer her lips pursed. "Oh my god. That's all you care about?" She shook her head and took a step away from him. "Just get out Stefan. Go back to Katherine. I don't need you here."

"Elena no," he said, grabbing her wrist carefully. "I love you."

"Then why did you leave?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes. "Why didn't you try to find another way?" She glanced at the stairs, almost whimpering not seeing Damon at the bottom of them. She had come to rely on him so much the last few days, and all she wanted was him right now. She didn't want to do this anymore. She just wanted to curl up in front of the fire place and sleep. "Just please leave."

"This isn't forever Elena," he said, cradling her cheek. "When she's gone I'll come back for you."

She gasped as his lips lowered to hers and she pulled her arms up between them to try to push him away. "Stefan no," she whimpered turning her head away from him. "Let go of me. Please." His grip was almost painful, almost.

"I suggest you listen to her Stefan," Damon said from behind her. "Otherwise I'll rip your arm off."

Elena took a step away from Stefan when he released her, her body shaking slightly. "Just leave Stefan," she said softly. "I don't want you here." Tears stung her eyes as he stormed out of the house but she blinked them away, her arms wrapping around Damon's waist once he closed the distance between them. "I'm fine."

"It's okay to not be fine," he said softly, stroking her hair. He guided her to the couch and she curled up in his lap easily. "You know Elena… you and Jeremy are not burdens to me. None of this is an inconvenience for me."

"I just don't want to take advantage of you," she whispered. "You've… done so much for me and I'll never be able to thank you." She wasn't sure she'd be able to give him what he wanted. She enjoyed his company, he made her smile, he made her stomach tie up in knots, she wasn't sure what else there was. It'd be some time before it was anything more then just friends.

"I just want to take care of you Elena," he said softly. "I like being able to do that for you."

She nuzzled his neck and sighed softly. "I like what we have," she said softly. She had to be honest with him so they could move through this. He was her rock and if that was ever destroyed, she wasn't sure what she'd do. "Even though the situation isn't anything great. I like where we are. And… I liked sleeping with you last night, I'm just… not ready yet I suppose."

"I told you before Sweetheart, me and you are solid," he said, kissing her hair. "There's plenty of time for anything else that might happen."

She smiled and hugged him. "You're pretty amazing, you know that?" she said yawning. She would never understand why Katherine gave him up. Damon seemed more then willing to give her the moon if she asked for it. And it had taken Elena all this time to repair the damage Katherine had done to him, and she'd never let anyone ruin that.

"I have some idea," he said, shifting so he could lay her down and he draped the blanket back over her. "I'm going to start a fire. Just in case." He kissed her forehead softly and she smiled a little.

"Thanks Damon," she whispered, her eyes falling closed.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I hope you guys aren't disappointed. This chapter took some work. I didn't want to rush them through anything, so I hope it worked.

A month later….

Elena stood in the center of her room, letting out a deep sigh, as she looked around. Damon had replaced the broken mirror, the remaining pictures in a box in her dresser. She wasn't sure she wanted to be back in the house, but Damon told her it was time. So they moved back home. It was hard for the first few nights not having Jenna around, and she would never admit it to anyone, but she was used to being at the boarding house with Damon. However he surprised her by spending the nights on the couch.

So far, he had spent the nights downstairs, mostly keeping things on a friendly level. The time they spent at the boarding house wasn't anything worth fireworks, just going about their normal day, and much to her… dismay they hadn't spent anymore nights together. She wasn't sure how to push things in the right direction. After running off the last time they slept in the same bed, she felt horrible for making him second guess where he stood with her. Then the first morning she had found him downstairs making breakfast for them, like he had been doing all this time, he kissed her. Not a full blown make out but still… he had kissed her and she felt like they were acting like scared teenagers. They didn't talk about it, but she felt like they were supposed to. Anyone who watched them together would say they were dating, the way they cuddled on the couch, or stole glances at one another, it was obvious they were more than friends.

She took a deep breath and rubbed her sweaty palms on her pajama shorts before heading downstairs. Jeremy was out with some friends so she had the house to herself with Damon. She wasn't sure what she intended on happening, but she knew she wasn't sleeping another night alone. She was ready for them, and she just had to convince him. He was either going to make it super easy or super hard, she just had no idea which one.

He was in the kitchen digging around in the fridge and she watched him with amusement from the doorway, wearing his black pajama pants. She couldn't believe he wore pajamas normally, but it wasn't like he could be naked around here. "You're still hungry?" she teased. He always made enough food for an army, but sometimes they would have guests. Ric stopped over sometimes, as did Bonnie and Caroline. At first it started out as making sure they were okay with adjusting, then it turned into checking on her to see what was going on with Damon, and on a day where it was just Caroline, the blonde had asked if they were sleeping together yet and Elena nearly choked on her own air. So all the tension between her and the older Salvatore wasn't going unnoticed by everyone else.

Damon snorted. "No I'm full," he said turning to face her. He narrowed his eyes briefly as he often did when he already knew something she didn't, but she didn't make a comment.

She forced herself to calm down. This was Damon for god sakes. She knew he loved her. She knew that she had to push this. He was just… giving her space to make sure she processed everything that was going on in her life. To allow her the time to grieve for her aunt and her boyfriend. She didn't like walking on eggshells around him. He was the only one she never had to do that with until now and she hated it. "So I was thinking," she said carefully as she moved around the counter so she could stand in front of him. "I mean… my bed isn't that big but its bigger than the couch."

"Elena…"

"Please?" she whispered, a brief moment of panic flutter through her. Maybe it wasn't her. Maybe he needed time too. She didn't know how you got over losing someone after loving them for 150 years, but she didn't imagine that it was a walk in the park. "Isn't this what you want? I mean, you kissed me the other day and I just thought… we were out of the just friends stage." They were practically together already, she just… wanted something to solidify their connection. She hated labels, and putting boyfriend on Damon didn't seem to fit, but she didn't care.

Damon's hands came to settle on her hips, and some of the tension seeped out of her muscles at his touch as she leaned into him. "I want to be with you sweetheart," he said softly. "That's not a secret. I just don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"You're not," she said firmly her hands running up his chest. "I'm ready for us Damon, I've been ready. You're part of our family now. I'm not… trying to seduce you or anything. I just want you to spend the night with me upstairs."

He chuckled softly and his lips lowered to hers as her arms snaked around his neck. "You know amazing you are?" he murmured against her lips.

Her breath caught in her throat but she lifted her lips once more to his, pressing her body flush against his. She felt shivers all the way down to her toes as his tongue dueled with hers and she laughed happily as he scooped her up and headed to the stairs with ease. She had no complaints as he laid her in the middle of her… their bed. "Damon," she whispered as he trailed kisses over her neck. She chewed on her lip nervously and her heart clenched, but she knew she had to say this.

"Hm?" was his only response as he continued to nibble on her flesh.

She could back out. She could keep her feelings to herself and wait a little bit longer, and he'd never know the difference. But… he should know. It was only fair. She barely turned her head as her lips brushed against the outside of his ear. "I love you," she said softly.

Damon lifted his head from her shoulder, a look of awe gracing his features. She wasn't sure she had ever seen such a look on his face and she smiled a little. He stared at her for a long second and his hand came up to cradle her cheek as he smiled. "I love you too," he said.

She wasn't sure what she expected to happen next, whether the world was going to implode at her admission or if their clothes were going to be scattered across the room in a passionate frenzy, but he merely lowered his lips to hers once more, and she found that to be a better reaction then one she dreamed of. She curled up against him, snuggling into the hard muscle of his body as her hands moved over his chest to his face to finally behind his head where they settled on the base of his skull.

"You guys should close the door," Jeremy said with amusement as he wandered past her room to his own.

Elena blushed a light shade of pink but she giggled anyways. "Oops," she mumbled her thumb stroking his jaw bone. She relaxed against her pillows as Damon got up to shut the door saying good night to Jeremy and a dumb smile curled on her lips as he climbed back in beside her. It surprised her a little at how easily she could slip into his arms, but she was happy. Their hands tangled together as they rested on his stomach, his chest rising and falling with breath he did not need. "So now what?" she murmured.

Damon kissed the top of her hair. "Does it matter?" he asked softly as his fingers stroked through her silky tresses.

She pondered his question for a second before kissing him softly. "Not anymore it doesn't," she whispered. She had everything she wanted. She was safe. Her brother was safe and she was happy. A few months ago if someone told her that Damon would be the one to do that for her, she would have laughed. But she wouldn't trade this for anything in the world.


End file.
